meteorology

Explain how lower solar angles impact radiation intensity and how much energy is received at the surface.

-As solar angle increases, beam spreading decreases. -Beam spreading increases the surface area that radiation is distributed across.

Give examples of how climate change may impact daily weather.

-Cold weather is not going to disappear... but it has become less frequent in many places -As the global average temperature increases, the day-to-day weather becomes more unpredictable (chaotic!) • Precipitation patterns are changing • Increasing severity of drought increases wildfire likelihood and intensity • Tropical cyclones ("hurricanes" in the United States) are fed by warm water and may increase in intensity as sea surface temperatures (SSTs) rise • Weather "weirding"!

Explain the differences in heat released/absorbed by the processes of evaporation and condensation, and discuss why sweating helps you cool down.

-For evaporation to occur, heat energy must be added to a liquid. In the case of sweating, that energy for the phase change comes from your body, cooling you down. -The outdoor environment however can impact how well your sweat helps you thermoregulate: humid= little evaporation, little cooling... dry air = a lot of evaporation, a lot of cooling...

If given a map (or diagram) be able to discern locations that would have a continental or maritime climate (and what makes them different from one another in regard to temperature ranges).

A maritime climate is influenced by a nearby ocean. A continental climate is influenced by nearby land. The temperature of offshore currents affects nearby land areas. A maritime climate is less extreme than a continental climate because the ocean moderates temperatures.

Match the statement with the typical ordering it would have within the scientific method.

A new research question is formed (hypothesis) -Typically the first step. Planning the study and researching what other similar studies have been done -Typically the middle stages/ second step. Data analysis/ testing results/ sharing results -Typically the final stages.

In most of the world, the temperature is recorded in ____.

Celsius

Know that Earth rotates counterclockwise every 24 hours, with one half in light, and the other in dark (circle of illumination).

Circle of Illumination •line that Separates Earth into lighted and dark halves

Give examples of how conduction and convection both work in the "real world" for atmospheric processes.

Conduction: movement of heat through a substance without movement of molecules (a mettle pot) Convection: transfer of heat by mixing of a fluid (liquids and gasses). (the heat coming out of it)

Be able to explain the relationship between pressure, density, and temperature.

Density is directly proportional to pressure and indirectly proportional to temperature. As pressure increases, with temperature constant, density increases. Conversely when temperature increases, with pressure constant, density decreases.

Absorption

Energy transfer to the absorber - absorber gains energy and is warmed. Most atmospheric gasses are not good absorbers of shortwave (solar) radiation! •If more energy is radiated than absorbed, the objects get colder, and vice versa. •Earth absorbs more energy than emitted during the day and emits more energy than absorbed at night. •Objects absorb and emit energy differently.

Define the 1st and 2nd law of thermodynamics and discuss WHY they are both instrumental to how the atmosphere works.

First Law: Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only change form. Second Law: •Entropy (S): property of "disorder" of a system, "chaos". •Change in Entropy (S) = Change in Heat (Q) / Temperature (T) •If a process can be reversed, Entropy remains constant. •If the process is irreversible (as most are), the entropy of the system must INCREASE!

Doppler radar

a specialized type of radar that can detect precipitation as well as the movement of small particles, which can be used to approximate wind speed

The processes of evaporation and melting both:

absorb heat from the environment

A weakness of visible satellite imagery is that it is basically useless ________. Because of this, often ______ is used instead.

at night, Infrared imagery

Variable gases:

change in quantity from place to place and/or over time •H2Ov (Water vapor) clouds, precipitation, absorbs Infrared Radiation can also reflect radiation... •CO2 (Carbon dioxide) absorbs Infrared radiation (greenhouse gases)... •CH4 (Methane) •O3 (Ozone) absorbs UV (ultra-violet) radiation from the sun...

Atmospheric pressure ______ with height:

decreases exponentially

Wein law of energy

determines the peak wavelength of emission, which is also dependent on temperature.

Because Earth is cooler than the sun, it emits more radiation than the sun.

false

Doppler radar helps measure precipitation, but not wind.

false

The Sun's energy is distributed evenly across the Earth.

false

Weather in the middle latitudes tends to move from east to west.

false

the ___ law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, just change form.

first

Weather describes the conditions averaged over a region or over a period, whereas climate describes the condition of the atmosphere at a particular time and place.

flase

The amount of heat energy required to bring about a change in temperature in a substance is called the:

heat capacity

____ represents the total energy of molecular motion in a substance, where ___ is the average energy of molecular motion within a substance. ____ takes into account the mass of the substance.

heat, temperature, heat

Suppose last night was clear and calm. Tonight's forecast indicates that low clouds and fog will be present. From this, you would conclude that tonight's minimum temperature will be ____.

higher than last night's minimum temperature.

Infrared Satellite Image:

image of the Earth that gives information about height and temperature of clouds. (green = cold temps.; grey = warm temps; cloud tops are usually colder than the surface).

Water Vapor Satellite Image:

image that detects water vapor in atmosphere

On the summer solstice, the highest position of the noonday Sun is located:

in the midlatitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

The proper order from longest to shortest wavelength is ____.

infrared, visible, and ultraviolet.

The temperature of the tropopause ____.

is much colder than the temperature at Earth's surface.

On a pressure map, _____ connect lines of constant pressure. Where they are ____, you will find your fastest winds.

isobars, close together

Planck's law of energy

light at a particular wavelength has a specific energy curve.

A geostationary satellite takes pictures of ____.

one area on Earth as it moves at the same rate as Earth's spin

At any given time, ____ of Earth is illuminated by the Sun.

one half

Visible Satellite Image

photograph of Earth and its atmosphere that show areas of cloud cover.

The ____ law of thermodynamics states that energy will move in the direction that increases entropy (aka, from high to low, or hot to cold)

second

Stefan-Boltzmann laws of energy

state that the energy radiated by an object is related to its temperature. The hotter the object, the more total energy (E) it releases.

In the Northern Hemisphere, which day has the most hours of daylight?

summer solstice

Wind direction is ____.

the direction from which the wind is blowing.

Explain the significance of the average speed of air molecules. What does the speed of a molecule have to do with its temperature? If you have a substance that contains slower molecules and put it into contact with a substance that has faster molecules, what would you expect to happen?

the faster the speed of the molecule the hotter the temp (more energy), the slower the molecule the colder the temp. this is represented through kinetic energy. if the two hot and cold molecules were mixed each molecule would begin to average out creating a process called entropy.

Discuss why an area with varied elevation would expect to have wide ranges in temperature.

the temperature generally decreases as you move upward through the troposphere.

When you remove a cold beverage from a refrigerator in a humid room, water vapor will condense on the sides of the container. What happens to the temperature of the beverage inside the container? Why?

the temperature of the bevredge will begin to cool off (become warmer) because in humid weather there is more moisture in the air which means there will be more condensation. condensation on a cold drink provides more heat making your beverage warm faster.

The sun emits its greatest intensity of radiation in ____.

the visible portion of the spectrum.

The rising air bubbles from convection are known as ____.

thermals

The atmospheric layer where most weather occurs is the:

troposphere

An anticyclone is slowly moving eastwards. Southerly winds on the western side of the system will bring warmer and more humid air to the region. Therefore, afternoon temperatures will be warmer than those of the day before.

true

Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring component of the atmosphere.

true

Considering each hemisphere as a whole, seasonal temperature variation in the Southern Hemisphere is less than in the Northern Hemisphere due to the fact that there are more oceans in the Southern Hemisphere.

true

If Earth's average surface temperature were to increase, the amount of radiation emitted from the Earth's surface would increase, and the wavelength of peak emission would shift towards shorter wavelengths.

true

The lower atmosphere is warmed from the surface upward through longwave radiation from Earth, conduction, and convection.

true

The physical laws that control atmospheric behavior can be represented in mathematical equations, solved on computers, and are known as numerical models.

true

The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

true

Weather forecasts are commonly grouped according to how far into the future, the forecast extends.

true

-Which of the following is considered a variable gas in Earth's atmosphere?

water vapor

The concentrations of this invisible gas (____) vary greatly from place to place, and from time to time.

water vapor

Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) measure ____.

wind speed and direction, temperature and pressure, runway visibility at various airports, cloud-base height

____ tend(s) to steer the movement of surface pressure systems and thus are useful in forecasting.

winds aloft

Longitude

•Imaginary north-to-south lines •Usually referred to as "meridians" •Denote the west/east position from the prime meridian

Latitude

•Imaginary west-to-east lines •Parallel the equator and each other •Denote the north/south position from the equator •Higher latitudes generally experience lower temperatures

Understand that Earth's revolution around the sun is not a perfect circle (at perihelion Earth is closer to the sun than aphelion where it is farther away).

•Perihelion: January 3 •147.09 million km (91.36 million mi) •Aphelion: July 4 •151.92 million km (94.36 million mi)

In evaluating a map with upper-air, surface, satellite, and radar data, the lines connecting points of equal pressure are called ____.

Isobars

Know the dates of the equinoxes and solstices, and at what times the Arctic and Antarctic circles are in darkness/light.

June •Northern hemisphere parallels are primarily in daylight. •Southern hemisphere parallels are primarily in darkness. •Arctic circle and northward get 24hrs of daylight on the summer solstice (The antarctic circle gets 24hrs of night). December •Northern hemisphere parallels are primarily in darkness. •Southern hemisphere parallels are primarily in daylight. •Antarctic circle and southward get 24hrs of daylight on the winter solstice (the Arctic circle gets 24hrs of the night). •The difference in day length from June to December increases with latitude.

The heat energy released when water vapor changes to a liquid is called ____:

Latent heat of condensation

Modern computer forecasting models have increasingly smaller grid spacing. This presents which of the following problems?

Many more computations are needed.

On a warm summer day, one city experienced a daily range of 22 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit), whereas another had a daily range of 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit). The highest daily range probably occurred in ________________, where relatively dry summer air allows for large daily temperature ranges. The lowest daily range more than likely occurred in ________________, where the humid summer air keeps the daily temperature range small

New Mexico; New Jersey

List some initial reasons for seasons existing.

Our seasons are related to the amount of solar energy that is received at the earth's surface. This amount is determined by three main components: 1. The angle at which sunlight strikes the surface. 2. The amount of time that the sun is above the horizon. 3. The amount of atmosphere that the energy from the sun must pass through to reach the surface.

Give a generalized step-by-step for how to conduct research that follows the principles of the Scientific Method.

Pose a question, propose a hypothesis, predict the implications of an accurate prediction, and perform tests.

Which weather element always decreases as we climb upward in the atmosphere?

Pressure

Scattering

Radiation is redirected by what it encounters (gas, dust, water drops, particulates, etc.). How radiation is scattered will depend on the wavelength of the radiation and the size of the particle it encounters.

Constant gases:

Relatively long residence times in the atmosphere Include: •Nitrogen (N2) •Diatomic Oxygen (O2)

Discuss how the latent/sensible heat flux helps Earth get closer to radiative balance.

Sensible heat flux (QH): Buoyancy • Warmer air rises, and cooler air sinks. • Energy added to a substance to increase its temperature. Latent heat flux (QE): Energy to phase change water • "Hidden" heat. • If the substance is "speeding up" - so its molecules would become more energetic as a product of the change (think: liquid to gas), energy is taken from the environment.

Be able to explain why the sub-solar point is always between somewhere 23.5N and 23.5S latitude.

Since the Earth's axis is tilted 23.5 degrees, then on this particular day, the Sun's rays are striking the Earth directly at a latitude approximately 23.5 degrees north of the equator (that is, the Sun's rays are coming in at an angle of 90 degrees here; this is the subsolar point).

What determines the type (wavelength) and amount of radiation an object emits?

Temperature

Know the current tilt of the Earth and how it influences where the tropics are as well as the Arctic and Antarctic circles.

The Earth's axis is tilted 23.5° The hemisphere tilted toward the sun also has more hours of daylight than the hemisphere that is tilted away from the sun. The combination of more direct rays of sunlight and more hours of daylight causes the hemisphere tilted toward the sun to receive more solar radiation and to have warmer temperatures.

Know the largest carbon reservoirs in order of magnitude.

1. Sedimentary rock 2. Oceans 3. The biosphere (including the soil): a temporary sink 4. The atmosphere (smallest sink): has a small residence time—only about 100 years

Oxygen comprises approximately what percentage of the Earth's atmosphere?

21%

Which latitude would experience the most hours of daylight on December 22?

60 degrees S

The albedo of the moon is 7 percent. This means that ____.

7 percent of the sunlight striking the moon is reflected.

List the major gases (and their ratios), in the atmosphere.

78.08 percent nitrogen 20.95 percent oxygen 0.93 percent argon

Earth's atmosphere is divided into named layers based on the vertical profile of ____.

Air Temperature

Earth's atmosphere is divided into named layers based on the vertical profile of ____:

Air temperature

Define albedo, and give examples of high and low albedo surfaces.

Albedo: surface reflectivity Albedo = reflected radiation/incident radiation Albedo = 1 (highest reflectivity) Albedo = 0 (lowest reflectivity) Values in the table are percentages! Reflection Planetary albedo is ~30% Albedo depends on •Color of the object (light colors are more reflective than darker ones) •Texture (smooth surfaces are more reflective) •Sun angle (larger sun angles - or directly overhead sun -decreases albedo)

Statistical technique/ method with the appropriate definition:

Anomaly- How a variable compares to the normal period values (either above/ below/ or no difference) Trend- The tendency of the variable to increase/ decrease/ or remain constant over time Mean- The average of the variable Normal- A three-decade average period of data

blue H

Areas of high atmospheric pressure are designated with a blue H. High-pressure areas are usually associated with fair weather (sunny, partly cloudy skies). The winds spiral clockwise around an area of high pressure.

red L

Areas of low atmospheric pressure are designated with a red L. Low-pressure areas are usually associated with poor weather (clouds, precipitation). The winds spiral counterclockwise around an area of low pressure.

Walk through an example of how a change in either temperature or pressure would impact density.

As you heat something, it EXPANDS ßImagine the particles, as they receive more energy, moving faster and spreading out •This makes the newly heated substance LESS DENSE than it was before! •Hence, hotter air RISES when surrounded by cooler air (which has slower, more "packed together" particles).

The processes of condensation and freezing ____.

Both release sensible heat into the environment

Explain how scattering is responsible for sky color.

Gas molecules tend to scatter radiation at shorter wavelengths, especially blue... This is "Rayleigh Scattering".

Explain why global temperatures have remained relatively stable despite transitions in energy emitted from the sun.

Greenhouse gases efficiently absorb and re-emit energy to increase surface temperatures. Methane likely kept Earth temperatures within a very narrow range of variability.

Explain the difference between heat and temperature.

Heat (total energy) is a measure of the kinetic energy (movement) of the molecules that make up a substance. Temperature (average heat energy) is a property that describes the molecular motion present in a substance. The faster the molecules move, the higher the measured temperature of a substance and vice versa...

Earth emits radiation with the greatest intensity at ____.

Infrared wavelengths

Explain what it means for the atmosphere to be "compressible".

The atmosphere is a compressible fluid: pressure decreases exponentially with height

Define latent heat and discuss the energy released/absorbed in different phase changes of water.

The heat that is required to change a substance from one phase (form) to another is called latent heat.

If the air temperature at sea level (0 feet) is 60 degrees Fahrenheit, what would be the approximate air temperature at an altitude of 10,000 feet, assuming an average atmospheric lapse rate of 4 degrees Fahrenheit per 1,000 feet? Use words to describe how you came to your answer as well.

The temperature at an altitude of 10,000 ft would be 20 degrees Fahrenheit. I got this answer by knowing that the temp decreases by 4 degrees every 1000ft so I multiplied -4 x 10 (multiplying by 10 because I'm trying to find it at 10,000ft) and I got -40 so then I subtracted that from the initial 60 degrees and got an answer of 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Transmission, or "Direct Radiation"

This is the radiation that is transmitted through the atmosphere and makes it to the surface. How much energy is transmitted is a product of several factors! • Air quality, cloud cover, and time of day can all impact how much radiation makes it to the surface.

Know key lines of latitude (Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, the Equator, and the Arctic and Antarctic circles) and how their locations would change if Earth's tilt were to change.

Tropic of Cancer: 23.5N Equator: 0 Tropic of Capricorn: 23.5S Arctic circle: 66.5N Antarctic circle: 66.5S Because of Earth's tilt, the subsolar point always falls somewhere within this latitude range. Meaning, anywhere outside of this range (too far north or south) NEVER receives solar energy from directly overhead.

Differentiate the thermal layers of the atmosphere (and know the thermal profile as you ascend in the atmosphere).

Troposphere: • This is where humans live. • Temperature decreases with height (moving away from the surface). • 99% of "weather" takes place here. • Contains ~75% of the atmospheric mass Stratosphere: • Temperature is steady then increases with height. • Ozone reaches a maximum here at ~25 km, the reason for the temperature increase. Mesosphere: • Temperature decreases with height. Thermosphere: • Temperature increases with height.

Explain the unique roles of water vapor, methane, and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Water vapor •Limited to the lower atmosphere due to temperature decrease with height •Not all areas with low precipitation amounts have low water vapor amounts because temperature plays a large role in evaporation. Methane Methane concentration has more than doubled since preindustrial times, reaching approximately 1,800 ppb in recent years. Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas. Methane increase is predominantly due to livestock, agriculture, and fossil fuel use. Carbon dioxide Carbon Cycle - CO2 is an integral part of Earth's energy balance. Carbon dioxide is a natural component of the atmosphere. Studies at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii revealed that the atmospheric concentration of CO2 has risen by approximately 30 percent since 1958.

Explain why Earth emits longwave radiation and the Sun emits shortwave radiation.

Wein's Law: determines the peak wavelength of emission, which is dependent on temperature. In general, the higher the temperature of an object, the shorter the wavelength of emission. An INVERSE relationship!